diff --git a/src/directory.rs b/src/directory.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..18ef0356e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/directory.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+use sphinx::route::{Node as SphinxNode, Destination};
+
+pub struct DirectoryClient {}
+
+impl DirectoryClient {
+    pub fn new() -> DirectoryClient {
+        DirectoryClient {}
+    }
+
+    // Hardcoded for now. Later, this should make a network request to the directory server (if one
+    // has not yet been made), parse the returned JSON, memoize the full tree of active nodes,
+    // and return the list of currently active mix nodes.
+    pub fn get_mixes(&self) -> Vec<SphinxNode> {
+        fake_directory_mixes()
+    }
+
+    pub fn get_destination(&self) -> Destination {
+        Destination {
+            address: [0u8;32],
+            identifier: [0u8; 16],
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod retrieving_mixnode_list {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn always_works_because_it_is_hardcoded() {
+        let directory = DirectoryClient::new();
+        let expected = fake_directory_mixes().as_slice().to_owned();
+
+        let mixes = directory.get_mixes();
+
+        assert_eq!(expected, mixes.as_slice());
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod retrieving_destinations {
+    use super::*;
+    
+    #[test]
+    fn always_works_because_it_is_hardcoded() {
+        let directory = DirectoryClient::new();
+        let expected = Destination {
+            address: [0u8;32],
+            identifier: [0u8; 16],
+        };
+
+        let destination = directory.get_destination();
+
+        assert_eq!(expected, destination);
+    }
+}
+
+fn fake_directory_mixes() -> Vec<SphinxNode> {
+    let node1 = sphinx::route::Node{
+        address: [0u8;32],
+        pub_key: Default::default()
+    };
+    let node2 = sphinx::route::Node{
+        address: [1u8;32],
+        pub_key: Default::default()
+    };
+    vec![node1, node2]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/mix.rs b/src/mix.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4e903d644c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mix.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+use crate::directory::DirectoryClient;
+use sphinx::SphinxPacket;
+use sphinx::route::Node;
+
+struct MixClient {}
+
+impl MixClient {
+    fn new() -> MixClient {
+        MixClient {}
+    }
+
+    fn send(&self, packet: SphinxPacket, mix: &Node) {
+        let bytes = packet.to_bytes();
+        // now we shoot it into space!
+    }
+}
+
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod sending_a_sphinx_packet {
+    use super::*;
+    use sphinx::SphinxPacket;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn works() {
+        // arrange
+        let directory = DirectoryClient::new();
+        let message = "Hello, Sphinx!".as_bytes().to_vec();
+        let mixes = directory.get_mixes();
+        let destination = directory.get_destination();
+        let packet = SphinxPacket::new(message, &mixes, &destination);
+        let mix_client = MixClient::new();
+        let first_hop = mixes.first().unwrap();
+
+        // act
+        mix_client.send(packet, first_hop);
+
+        // assert
+        // wtf are we supposed to assert here?
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/validator.rs b/src/validator.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2